Acupuncture for Menstrual Cramps

Researchers from the Oriental Hospital at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea reviewed 27 studies (nearly 3,000 women), and found that acupuncture may be more effective than drugs or herbal medicines for severe menstrual period pain

Reuters in Hong Kong recently reported the study that found acupuncture to be helpful in alleviating menstrual cramps, a problem afflicting up to half of all young women. The researchers concluded that, “There is convincing evidence on the effectiveness of using acupuncture to treat pain as it stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin in the central nervous system.” Endorphins are compounds produced naturally by the human body during exercise and excitement and they result in a feeling of well-being. Serotonin is a brain chemical.

“Compared with pharmacological treatment or herbal medicine, acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in pain,” they wrote in their paper, which was published in the latest issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Previously, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has also cited acupuncture as a possibly effective way of dealing with menstrual cramps.